9 Genius Ways to Bring Old Furniture, Windows & Doors Back to Life
Give your outdated stools, headboards, doors and more a new avatar with these quirky ideas
Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar
17 December 2018
Houzz India Contributor. Internationally published architecture, design and art journalist. www.mangomonk.com
Houzz India Contributor. Internationally published architecture, design and art journalist.... More
Chipped corners, cracked surfaces, wobbly legs – furniture that’s looking worse for the wear can make for a dreadful eyesore once it’s overstayed its welcome. And it can be oh so tempting to toss it out. Only, sometimes, all it takes is fresh inspiration to give your furniture a new lease of life. If you’ve got windows or doors, study tables or chairs begging for attention, give them a reincarnation to remember with these creative makeover ideas (many of these require an expert carpenter on the job, so zero in on a trusty professional beforehand).
1. Put your headboard ‘on the bench’
Literally. A forgotten headboard can find new life as a bench, with a fresh lick of paint and a few modifications. Hire a carpenter to build a bench and use your headboard for its back, to make it the highlight of your custom masterpiece.
Literally. A forgotten headboard can find new life as a bench, with a fresh lick of paint and a few modifications. Hire a carpenter to build a bench and use your headboard for its back, to make it the highlight of your custom masterpiece.
2. Conjure a tabletop kitchen island
Let a vintage desk or chest masquerade as a kitchen island, scoring brownie points in both aesthetics and storage. Finish yours off with a stone countertop to shield it from spills and stains, and make it the perfect platform for your culinary adventures.
Let a vintage desk or chest masquerade as a kitchen island, scoring brownie points in both aesthetics and storage. Finish yours off with a stone countertop to shield it from spills and stains, and make it the perfect platform for your culinary adventures.
3. Showcase your stool’s ‘vanity’
Upgrade an old stool into a rustic vanity top. This way, you can turn your sink counter into a head-turning focal point, while giving your stool a brand-new avatar.
Tip: Seal your stool’s surface with boiled linseed oil or urethane before installation. This will shield it from moisture and keep your wood protected.
Discover unusual bathroom vanities made from desks and chests
Upgrade an old stool into a rustic vanity top. This way, you can turn your sink counter into a head-turning focal point, while giving your stool a brand-new avatar.
Tip: Seal your stool’s surface with boiled linseed oil or urethane before installation. This will shield it from moisture and keep your wood protected.
Discover unusual bathroom vanities made from desks and chests
4. ‘Console’ your nightstand
Recall an exiled TV console and give it a spiffy new role as a nightstand. Take the glam quotient several notches higher by making little changes – style up your drawer pulls, use dressy contact paper (temporary adhesive paper, available in various finishes and designs) to give your drawers a new look, or swap your drawers for cane or wicker baskets.
Recall an exiled TV console and give it a spiffy new role as a nightstand. Take the glam quotient several notches higher by making little changes – style up your drawer pulls, use dressy contact paper (temporary adhesive paper, available in various finishes and designs) to give your drawers a new look, or swap your drawers for cane or wicker baskets.
5. Swing with some chairs
There’s nothing better than a couple of swing chairs to enjoy a breezy day in the balcony. Give old chairs a stylish spin by cutting off the legs and creating rope swing suspensions. Throw in a few pillows to breathe colour and character into your new little hideaway.
Tip: If you’re using a lightweight wooden chair, ask your carpenter to evaluate the need for bolting on a metal brace to strengthen the wooden structure.
There’s nothing better than a couple of swing chairs to enjoy a breezy day in the balcony. Give old chairs a stylish spin by cutting off the legs and creating rope swing suspensions. Throw in a few pillows to breathe colour and character into your new little hideaway.
Tip: If you’re using a lightweight wooden chair, ask your carpenter to evaluate the need for bolting on a metal brace to strengthen the wooden structure.
6. Scale up an old table
Your grandmother’s old kitchen table or your own childhood desk can become an unusual coffee table that makes a cool design statement. Take a look at the coffee table in this image – a children’s table, complete with tiny chairs, fuses traditional materials and contemporary function.
You could flip the idea to transform an old coffee table into a kids’ activity desk by adding a miniature chair or two. If you keep the table’s original finish, it can continue to as an element of your living room. Perhaps this one here does double duty, too.
Tip: When creating a kids’ table, make sure there is enough room underneath for little legs. If not, consider shaving off the chair-facing table aprons (the skirting underneath the tabletop) to create more leg room.
Your grandmother’s old kitchen table or your own childhood desk can become an unusual coffee table that makes a cool design statement. Take a look at the coffee table in this image – a children’s table, complete with tiny chairs, fuses traditional materials and contemporary function.
You could flip the idea to transform an old coffee table into a kids’ activity desk by adding a miniature chair or two. If you keep the table’s original finish, it can continue to as an element of your living room. Perhaps this one here does double duty, too.
Tip: When creating a kids’ table, make sure there is enough room underneath for little legs. If not, consider shaving off the chair-facing table aprons (the skirting underneath the tabletop) to create more leg room.
7. ‘Screen’ your headboard
Consider putting a seldom-used screen to good use as a headboard. Freshen it up with paint or varnish in a palette darker than your wall, to project it as your hero piece.
Give your home a piece of the past with these time-served headboard designs
Consider putting a seldom-used screen to good use as a headboard. Freshen it up with paint or varnish in a palette darker than your wall, to project it as your hero piece.
Give your home a piece of the past with these time-served headboard designs
Or pull down weathered window shutters to create a similar headboard look.
8. Give your window a view on the inside
If you’re renovating your home, you’ll have mounds of discarded fixtures that can be worth repurposing. Turn a tossed-away window into a whimsical looking glass in the manner of this beau-blue mirror. Paint your frame to match your bathroom decor, swap out your glass panes for mirrors, and voila, you’re done! Think of it as paying your window back for all those years of views on the outside.
If you’re renovating your home, you’ll have mounds of discarded fixtures that can be worth repurposing. Turn a tossed-away window into a whimsical looking glass in the manner of this beau-blue mirror. Paint your frame to match your bathroom decor, swap out your glass panes for mirrors, and voila, you’re done! Think of it as paying your window back for all those years of views on the outside.
9. Treat your door to coffee
Speaking of renovations, why get rid of old doors? Deconstruct a time-served door and transform it into a quirky coffee table. Consider keeping a distressed finish to infuse old-world charm into your space.
Read more:
What Do I Do With the Furniture I Don’t Like?
How to Stylishly Repurpose and Reuse Old Items in Your Home
Tell us:
Which of these ideas has you planning your next furniture upgrade? Tell us in Comments below.
Speaking of renovations, why get rid of old doors? Deconstruct a time-served door and transform it into a quirky coffee table. Consider keeping a distressed finish to infuse old-world charm into your space.
Read more:
What Do I Do With the Furniture I Don’t Like?
How to Stylishly Repurpose and Reuse Old Items in Your Home
Tell us:
Which of these ideas has you planning your next furniture upgrade? Tell us in Comments below.
Related Stories
Working with professionals
Busted! 5 Myths About Working With an Interior Designer
By Tanya Khanna
We put to bed the biggest misconceptions about working with design professionals
Full Story
Working with professionals
Can Hiring an Interior Designer Save You Money?
We dispel the biggest misconception that working with an interior designer will drive up the cost of the project
Full Story
Working with professionals
What Are the Benefits of Hiring an Interior Designer?
From furnishing working drawings to beautifying the home, find out how an interior designer plays multifunctional roles
Full Story
More Room Guides
Turn One Room Into Two With These Genius Ideas
Carve out an extra room within your home with these fab room-splitting tips and tricks
Full Story
Bedroom Guides
What Are the Ideal Wardrobe Measurements?
Here are dimensions for different types of wardrobe designs that ensure maximum functionality and storage
Full Story
More Room Guides
7 Types of Glass That Allow in Light & Privacy
These glass products and treatments will increase privacy without losing natural light
Full Story
Decorating Ideas
9 Ways to Make Minimalism Work in Indian Homes
Here are smart ways to harmoniously combine the minimalist ethos with Indian aesthetics and lifestyles
Full Story
Most Popular
Which False Ceiling Material is Better: Gypsum or POP?
Here is all you need to know about the difference between gypsum and POP before you commit to a ceiling
Full Story
Most Popular
Where to Use Which Paint?
Know your emulsions from your acrylics, and the right types for painting the home's interior & exterior
Full Story
Life
10 Bad Habits That Are Making Your Home Messier...
By Jo Simmons
...and how to break them! Tweak your mess-forming behaviours and help tidy up your interior
Full Story
The best ways to design your house. Thanks a lot. My wife is a daily visitor to your blog and she renovated each and everything in my home. From my point of view i got my pc and laptop place where my best mmo gaming mouse looks cool sitting on the front of my table. Thanks a lot for this.